How do I create a folder in music player?

A music player is a software application or hardware device that allows users to store, organize and play back audio files such as MP3s, WAVs, and FLACs. Music players provide features to add songs to playlists, sort music by genre, artist or album, and manage large libraries. Many people accumulate vast collections of digital music over time. Without proper organization, these libraries can become cluttered and difficult to navigate. Creating folders is an effective way to categorize and arrange music files within a player.
The key benefits of using folders in a music player include:
- Group similar music together, such as by genre or mood
- Separate music into different categories like playlists, favorites, new additions etc.
- Enable quick access to certain albums, artists or songs
- Reduce clutter from displaying all files in one long list
- Sync only certain folders to devices to save space
- Customize structure based on personal organizational preferences
Overall, using folders improves the usability of a music library by allowing intuitive organization. This guide will cover how to create and manage folders within a music player app.
Locate Folder Creation
The option to create a new folder is located in different places depending on your music player software. Here are some common locations:
In iTunes, you can find the folder creation option by going to the music library, right-clicking or control-clicking in the blank space, and selecting “New Playlist Folder” from the menu. This will add a folder that can contain playlists. On Mac, you can also use the keyboard shortcut shift+command+N while in the music library to create a new folder (source).
In Windows Media Player, go to the navigation pane on the left side and right-click on an empty space within the music library. From the menu, choose “New Playlist Folder” to add a folder (source).
On an iPhone in the Apple Music app, tap on Library, then Playlists. In the top right corner tap Edit, then the “+” icon to create a new playlist folder (source). This allows organizing playlists into folders.
The ability to make dedicated folders is limited in some mobile apps, so check your app’s settings. On Android, apps like Google Play Music may not have a folder creation option.
Create a New Folder
To create a new empty folder in your music player app, follow these steps:
- Open the music player app on your device.
- Look for the “Library” or “My Music” section.
- Find and select the “Playlists” tab.
- Tap the “New Playlist” or “+” icon.
- Select the “New Folder” option.
- Enter a name for your folder.
- Tap “Save” or “Create.”
This will create a new empty folder in your music player app’s playlist section that you can add content to.
Name the Folder
When naming your new music folder, you’ll want to follow some best practices and conventions. This will help keep your music library neatly organized and easy to navigate.
Some tips for naming folders include:
- Be descriptive but concise – Choose a name that summarizes the folder contents, but avoid overly long names.
- Use spaces between words instead of underscores – Spaces improve readability.
- Avoid special characters – Stick to letters, numbers and spaces. Characters like <, >, :, “, /, \, |, ?, *, etc. can cause problems.
- Be consistent – Name similar folders in a consistent style for uniformity.
- Use camel case for multi-word names – Capitalize each word after the first, like ThisIsCamelCase.
- Consider numbering volumes – For series, use Volume 01, Volume 02, etc.
- Include the year for dated content – For example, “Dance Music 2022”.
Some examples of properly named folders:
- Pop Music
- Rock Ballads
- Chillout 2022
- Best of the 80s
- Upbeat Indie Vol. 01
Following naming conventions will keep your library neat and easy to sort through.
Add Music to Folder
Once you have created a new folder in iTunes, you can add music to it in a few simple steps:
On Windows, select the songs or albums you want to add to the folder. You can do this by clicking on each individual song, or click and drag to select multiple songs at once. With the songs selected, drag and drop them into the desired folder in the left sidebar.
On Mac, select the songs or albums you want to add, right click and choose “Add to Playlist”. A window will pop up allowing you to select which playlist or folder to add the music to. Choose your newly created folder from the list.
You can also add entire artists, genres or playlists to a folder by dragging and dropping the main artist, genre or playlist header onto the folder.
iTunes will copy the music files into the folder location. You can confirm the songs were added by expanding the folder in the sidebar and verifying the contents. The original files will remain in their existing library location as well.
To cite a source (source), you can add a hyperlink as shown.
Create Folder Structure
When organizing a digital music library, it’s important to create a logical folder structure to make finding and accessing music easy. Here are some common ways to structure your music folders:
By artist: Create a parent folder for each artist name, then subfolders for each album by that artist. For example:
- Artist Name
- Album 1
- Album 2
By genre: Have a parent folder for broad genres like Jazz, Rock, Pop etc. Then create subfolders for artists within each genre. This helps you find music by mood or occasion.
By year: Organize music into folder hierarchies based on the year of release. This lets you browse your collection chronologically.
By playlist: Make folders for different playlists like “Workout Mix”, “Roadtrip Songs” etc. Add songs to each playlist folder as needed.
A combination approach often works best, such as using both genre and artist folders. The key is to choose a structure tailored to how you access your music. Consistency is also important – once you pick a folder scheme, stick to it for new additions.
For more ideas, see this thread on the Steve Hoffman Music Forums.
Manage Folders
You can easily edit, delete, move, and sort folders in Windows Media Player to keep your music collection organized. Here are some tips:
To rename a folder, right-click on it and select Rename. Type in the new name and press Enter. You can also rename multiple folders at once by selecting them and choosing Rename.
To delete a folder, right click on it and select Delete. This will delete the folder and all its contents. You can restore deleted items from the Recycle Bin if needed.
To move a folder, click and drag it to the new location in the navigation pane. Dropping it will move the folder and its contents. You can also right-click, select Cut, navigate to the new location, and select Paste.
To sort your folders, click on any column header like Name or Date Modified. This will sort the folders alphabetically or chronologically. Click again to toggle between ascending and descending order.
You can also create Auto Playlists based on folders. Just right-click on a folder, select Create Auto Playlist, and pick your preferences.
Sync With Devices
Once you have created folders and added music in your music player library on your computer, you can sync those folders and music to external devices like phones and MP3 players. This allows you to take your organized music library with you on the go.
To sync your music library from iTunes on a PC to an iPhone, you first need to connect the two devices via USB. Then in iTunes, click on the ‘iPhone’ icon to access syncing options. Check the box next to ‘Sync Music’ and select ‘Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres’ to only sync certain folders. Then check the specific folders you want to transfer from iTunes to your iPhone.
For syncing an Android device, you can use the Android File Transfer app for Mac or Windows. This will allow you to see your phone’s storage and drag and drop music files and folders to it. For most MP3 players, you can connect via USB and simply drag and drop folders to the device in File Explorer or Finder.
Syncing your customized folders and playlists allows you to easily take your organized music library anywhere and across all your devices. Just remember to sync again to update any changes after adding or reorganizing music.
Alternatives
There are several alternative music player apps that also allow you to create and manage folders:
MediaMonkey is a free music player and organizer that lets you sort music by folders and sub-folders. It supports advanced tagging and auto-organization features to help manage large music libraries. More information can be found at https://www.mediamonkey.com/.
MusicBee is another free music player with folder management support. You can create a folder structure and organize tracks however you like. MusicBee also makes it easy to sync music to portable devices. See https://getmusicbee.com/ to learn more.
If you prefer open-source software, Clementine is a good option. It allows creating and organizing folders to categorize your music. Clementine can be downloaded for free from https://www.clementine-player.org/.
For mobile users, Poweramp is a highly rated Android music player with support for custom folders. You can download it from the Google Play store at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maxmpz.audioplayer.
Conclusion
In summary, organizing your music library into folders provides many benefits. Folders allow you to categorize your music by genre, artist, year, or any other system that makes sense for your needs. This makes it much easier to navigate a large music collection and quickly find tracks when DJing. Folders also help keep your music libary neat and structured on your computer’s hard drive. With a folder system, you can easily add new music and know exactly where it should go.
Key benefits of using folders for music organization include:
- Easier searching and browsing when DJing
- Ability to categorize tracks in multiple ways
- Keeps music collection neatly organized on hard drive
- Allows custom organization system tailored to your needs
- Simpler to add new tracks to existing folder structure
- Can sync folder structure across devices and music apps
Overall, taking the time to organize your music into a well-planned folder structure will make your life as a DJ much easier. Your music library will be tidy, searchable, and ready to access tracks at a moment’s notice during a gig.